Need some printer advice regarding the i9900!

[fortisi876]

Hello All!

Relatively new here, although Ive been lurking for a few yrs looking for repair tips here n there.

I'm currently using an i9900 printer that Ive been very happy with over the yrs, however, Ive been experiencing some print issues that I believe to be linked to a clogged printhead.

Ive taken her out a few times for a cleaning, Ive used primarily Windex and some compressed air to try to dislodge any stubborn clogs. When I do a nozzle check the test looks good but when I print an image....garbage. When looking more closely to the color patches on the test, the PC looks like there might be some blank streaking/clogged holes but it's hard to tell really.

FWIW- Ive tried enough cleaning cycles (deep too) to consume an entire cart worth of ink with negative results. Sometime it looks as if anything related to cyan or magenta looks poor. Other times other colors appear to be affected more so.

I'm now beginning to wonder if it's related to using older carts???
Ive been using the same refillable ink carts for probably over a yr now, is it possible that the cart is not flowing ink into every single port on the printhead thus creating poor prints?

I'm not sure if I want to spend more money in new canon ink carts or refillable carts just to see the problem persist so unless someone confirms that it is a possibility Im not going down that road.

If it matters, I'm using media street ink and their carts.


I also have a brand new Epson 1400 sitting in the basement in it's unopened box (had credit to use before losing it) which makes my decision tougher....lol!


Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!!

 

[ghwellsjr]

If your print head performed a perfect nozzle check, then the issue is not clogging. It does sound like a flow problem in the cartridges.

What method are you using to refill your cartridges? If you are using the German method, do you put tape over the refill hole or otherwise plug it? If you don't, it is possible for an air path to develop from the refill hole down to the outlet hole. If this is the case, try refilling your carts one more time and make sure the sponge material is saturated all along the bottom of the cartridge.

However, the problem could also be your third-party cartridges. I would not bother with any third party cartridges as most of them do not use two different sponge materials which is important for proper ink flow. The upper sponge is designed to allow air flow from the air vent at the top of the cartridge down to the groves along the wall that divides the sponge compartment from the ink reservoir and into the hole at the bottom of that wall so that it eventually can bubble up into the reservoir as ink is dispensed out into the lower sponge. If air cannot follow this path, then your cartridge will deliver air instead of ink to the outlet port.

I would strongly suggest that you buy a set of Canon cartridges and then as soon as any cartridge gets low on ink (yellow warning) refill all of your cartridges using the German method. Don't forget to cover the refill hole with tape.

You have one of the best Canon printers available. I wouldn't give up on it for any Epson, even if it was free.

 

[fortisi876]

Thnx for the reply!

Ive never heard of the German method, I use syringes and the carts came with rubber plugs.

The 3rd party carts worked well for over a yr so I'm not sure if the design is the issue more than possibly them getting clogged, that's why I asked the question.

I may have to buy another set of Canon carts just to see if that solves the problem.

 

[fotofreek]

Fortisi - Having refilled Canon bci-6 carts for more than six years, my experience is similar to ghwellsjr in that the best carts to refill are the original canons. Over time and after several refills, all carts can accumulate enough dried ink inside to slow down the delivery of ink. Thus, you can get a normal nozzle check but appear to have a blocked nozzle when printing photos. I use the old refill technique that you do, but I did have to adapt the canon carts by creating a refill hole over the ink reservoir area and sealing it well after refilling. There is a technique for purging the carts and making them like new again for more refills. You can find that info on this forum.

I haven't tried the German method as I am more than satisfied with the technique I've been using. Those who use it, however, say that you get less dried ink buildup with repeated refills. I have enough purged canon carts that were used only once and never refilled that I will probably never have to purge another cart again. Even though I had several sets of aftermarket carts that I had been refilling, I discarded them when I collected a large number of Canon OEM carts from people who didn't refill.

 

[fortisi876]

Will try purging the magenta and cyan carts in the a.m. since I was able to narrow the problem down to those colors...ty!

 

[Grandad35]

Try this test.
1. Find an area where ink can drip from the carts without having your wife chase you with a frying pan.
2. On a cart that is at least 1/2 full, remove the refill screw and uncover the exit port.
3. With the cart held level, let it drip for 20 seconds to stabilize the flow, then count the number of drops of ink per second.
4. Two or more drops per second is typical of a clean cart, while 2 seconds per drop indicates low ink flow and that the cart should be purged.

Note that it is possible for the sponges to move inside the sponge chamber and result in poor flow, so make sure that they set square inside the chamber, that they are not crushed against the wall between the two chambers and that they are in firm contact with the round filter at the exit port.

If you have been refilling the same carts for several years, they almost certainly need to be purged. I have 42 carts in my refill rotation (also an i9900), and need to purge about every 12-18 months. If you are going to purge a few carts, it is very little extra work to purge them all at the same time (it doesn't hurt them and avoids future problems with the other colors). At the same time, remove the print head and blow out the ink with low pressure compressed air (about 10 psi), followed by an isopropyl alcohol purge - use a syringe without a needle and a short piece of clear vinyl tubing that fits over the ports on the print head. Then blow out the alcohol to make sure that all of the ink has been removed - this procedure prevents any possibility of ink drying inside the print head and creating a clog while the carts are out. When the printer is powered up after the print head and carts are replaced, it will automatically run an extended cleaning cycle to fill the print head wilh ink.

You might also want to run the extended service test print, as it allows you to see clogs in individual nozzles.

 

[fortisi876]

TY for the advice, I'm going to try that test.

Can you clarify what the "extended service test print" is?

 

[Grandad35]

Try this

 

[fortisi876]

You guys are the best, thank you for the help.

I just tried the test you suggested above on the cyan and magenta cart and WOW......I was getting a drip every 3-4 seconds, not even close to the recommended 2 drips/sec.

I'm in the middle of purging those two carts out right now and I'm noticing the sponge wont get white so I suppose that means I have some dried ink in there.
I'm looking for the recommended solution I saw somewhere in here earlier about loosening that gunk up. I'm almost tempted to squirt Windex in there since I know that stuff does a good job of breaking ink up but I'm not sure if that'll damage the sponge so I wont.

And yes, I plan on purging all the carts now.


***Thought I would add that I just purged two very old Canon OEM carts that I had not cleaned after taking out, well, the sponge on those two old carts came out almost spotless, I was amazed to see how the ink just wicked off the sponge vs the 3rd party carts still being stained. FWIW- those original carts were drilled out for refill use with the same ink I'm using in the 3rd party carts. I think I'm sold on only using OEM carts from now on.***

 

[Grandad35]

The sponges are pretty robust, and you won't hurt them with anything that you can safely put on your skin. Just be sure to completely flush the carts with water afterward to keep other solutions from getting into the ink/print head.

1. Hot water cleans much better than cold water.
2. An Isopropyl alcohol soak should help dissolve solidified ink residue, as would Windex with ammonia.

AFAIK only Canon carts get white sponges after purging - other carts do not. This is only an observation - not a requirement. I use a mixture of OEM and several brands of 3rd party carts (which don't turn white), and they all work for me. It is possible that I wouldn't have to purge as often if I used only OEM carts, but I'm not about to fool with success.